District 219 approves $2.6-million sale of obsolete bus depot

The Niles Township High School District 219 Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to sell one of its unused buildings for $2.6 million. 

The property, located at 6119 Howard St. in Niles, was purchased in 2015 to serve as D219’s transportation depot, district documents show. 

But the building was deemed unnecessary in 2020 due to “zoning constraints” and according to the documents, the district began using another property on Oakton Street as its transportation hub.

Burnham Venture Partners, which appears to be a private equity firm based in Deerfield, was the only bidder to respond after the property went on the market in October, said James Vreeland, D219’s assistant superintendent for business, during Tuesday’s meeting. 

Now that the board approved the sale, the Niles Township treasurer will also have to authorize the sale. But unless Burnham Venture Partners backs out of the transaction during the subsequent 90-day “due diligence period,” the D219 property will be sold, Vreeland said.

District documents show the Howard Street property has been available for sale since 2020 and there have been a “few interested parties,” but none that resulted in a transaction until now.

The board purchased 6119 Howard St. and two other properties in Niles, 6000 Gross Point Road and 6100 Gross Point Road, all together for $2.51 million in August 2015, public documents show; however, the board, which consisted of almost entirely different members in 2015, had three members abstain and one vote against purchasing those properties.

Public documents show that a number of residents expressed concerns about the district purchasing the transportation hub on Howard Street as it would be located near the Revolve Rifle & Range gun shop that was in development at 6143 W. Howard St.

D219 Board member David Ko was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

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